Don't Lose Your Crown as Your Full Reward

Thank you, Mike. It's nice to be in this new year 2021. I think 2020, as some mentioned, they don't want to remember too much about it. We'll see what happens in this year. But if I look back on this past year, there are three lessons that have stood out for me. I'm sure you have your own set of lessons. Gary mentioned one, learning about dealing with illnesses and getting close to God. Well, here are the three lessons that I remember.

First was a quote on the web back in April. It said this, in three short months, just like he did with plagues of Egypt, God has taken away everything we worship. God said, you want to worship athletes? I will shut down the stadiums.

So they are. Still, you want to worship musicians? I will shut down the civic centers. You want to worship actors? I will shut down the theaters. You want to worship money? I will shut down the economy. You don't want to go to church and worship me? I will make it where you can't go to church.

And then it had a quote from 2 Chronicles 7.14, which said, if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will heal their land. So we will see how much of this plays out in this coming year since this crisis with the COVID still continues.

The second lesson is the importance of obeying the biblical laws concerning eating clean meats and properly preparing them. We had a series of Bible studies that I encourage you to go over.

At least at this date, the most probable explanation of how this virus spread throughout the world was that people in Wuhan, China were eating bats or animals that ate bats in the live animal food markets. Bats have this type of virus and usually it stays among them. But if you start eating them, it can transfer over to you. Bats are a type of mammal. So of course, those viruses can skip and jump to human beings. And this isn't the first time that has happened. If you look at the swine flu, that was because of pigs. God tells us not to eat pigs. Also Ebola. People were eating monkeys in Africa and that virus was transmitted. You have another virus which had to do with eating camels, which the Bible tells us not to eat. So just being able to do these things, we would have kept ourselves from many types of viruses like this one. Of course, we don't know exactly the origin. So this is just the most probable cause, but we'll have to see in the future what else is revealed. The third lesson has to do with the scripture that has come back time and time again in my mind. We could be so close to that coming period of God intervening, of Christ's kingdom arriving in the future. And it tells us, don't lose your crown as your full reward.

One of the saddest experiences for a minister is to witness some brethren falling by the wayside, leaving the faith. It's like losing a member of the family. It's always heartbreaking.

So in Revelation 3.11, where it tells us, don't let anybody take your crown. I'd like to read it in two other versions that bring out a little more meaning to it. In the contemporary English version of Revelation 3.11, it says, I am coming soon. Jesus speaking here.

So hold firmly to what you have, and no one will take away the crown that you will be given as your reward. So again, it makes it even clearer that you have to hold firmly to what you have, that no one will take away the crown that you will be given as your reward, the reward for overcoming. Another version called the expanded Bible. By the way, all of these are on a website called Bible Gateway, and you can go there, and then you just type the verse, and it gives it to you. And then it has a little space where it says, see all the versions, and they got like 30 versions. It's very good. You can just compare them. So in this expanded Bible version, it says, this verse, I am coming soon. Continue strong in your faith. Hold on to what you have.

So no one will take away your crown or wreath, indicating honor or victory.

So it's actually the crown of a person that overcomes, that wins, that has a victory. And of course, we're talking about a spiritual victory here in our lives. And it says this same word, Stefanos, in the Greek, where you get the term Stephen, which means this crown of Laurel, that in old days in Greece and Rome, where you had the Olympics, that's what they were crowned with.

And also a conquering hero, he would have this type of a wreath on his head.

It's the same word used in Revelation 2.10, where he's talking to another church and talking about that crown of overcoming that is so important. Now, notice the immediate context in Revelation 3. It's very interesting because that way you can even go deeper in the meaning of this word crown. Revelation 3. And verse 8, and I'm going to continue with expanded Bible. You can go ahead and it says, I know your work. See, I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it, for you have a little strength, have kept my word and have not denied my name. In the expanded Bible version, it says, I know what you do, your works. See, it's not your talk as it was brought out in the sermon. I see what you are doing. You are doing a work. You're getting the gospel out. You are teaching people God's truths. You are growing in faith. It says, I have put an open door before you, which no one can close. I know you have little strength or power, but you have obeyed my teaching. You have kept my word. This has to do with God's commandments and laws. You have been faithful and were not afraid to speak and have not denied my name. We are faithful. We are going to honor God the Father's name and Jesus Christ's name.

Verse 10 says, you have obeyed my teaching about not giving up your faith, having endurance and perseverance. So I will keep you from the time or hour of trouble and testing that will come to the whole world to test those who live on the earth. Well, are people being tested now? Are they going through trials now like never before? Yes. If you look at the world statistics, even in the Orange County Register, it tells you all the countries. It has affected everybody. There are countries that cover up things, too.

I wouldn't trust the statistics from Russia, for instance, or China. They've had people that have disappeared who wanted to mention the shenanigans going on. Where else? Korea. North Korea, as well.

It goes on to say in verse 12, after it talks about, don't let anybody take your crown. Verse 12, he says, I will make those who win the victory, who overcome and conquer, pillars in the temple of my God, an image of stability and security close to the glory of God. How would you like to have that position? Having an image of stability and security, and actually it's not an image, it's actually a position of stability and security close to the glory of God. And they will never have to leave it. In other words, indicating never leaving those positions before God. So the crown has to do with great honor. What a great blessing. Paul understood this concept very well, not letting anybody take that crown as a reward that we have as being faithful and received eventually in God's kingdom. He knew what we needed to do. Notice in Philippians chapter 2 in verse 12. Philippians chapter 2 in verse 12. He says, therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for his good pleasure.

And so here again we have the beautiful balance between we doing our part, God doing his part. We both need to be actively. God is going to be actively in our lives if we are doing our part. But Paul compared this overcoming, this eventually winning this olive wreath as a race. And guess what? We have a part to do. God's not going to carry us all the way to the finish line. Like some evangelicals who say you can't do anything. So it says, like, it says, don't try to run. Don't try to better yourself. Don't try to work harder. I'll carry you along. You just be passive. That's not at all what it says here. It says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Notice in 1 Corinthians 9 verse 24. 1 Corinthians 9 verse 24.

Paul, who understood God's will, who was personally taught by God, and he compared it to a race. Now, in this case, we need God's help. We need his power. We need his guidance. But he's not going to run it for us. Notice in verse 24. It says, do you not know that those who run in a race all run? By the way, the term race means stadium in the Greek. It means those that ran around the stadium. It's a long distance run.

But one receives the prize. So nobody's really doing anything. Then nobody's really trying to win the prize, to put maximum effort. And that's what he's comparing it to. Just like we do with the physical things, we try to do them right, to be able to be rewarded. Well, God also wants us to do the right things spiritually speaking for his reward. It says, run in such a way that you may obtain it. He doesn't want people that are lazy, negligent, distracted. Verse 25, it says, and everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. He exercises self-control, self-discipline. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, because yes, it was an enormous benefit and enormous achievement to be crowned, especially in these Olympic games. Or in Corinth, they have what they call the Isthman games, which also were similar, not as worldwide as the Olympics, but it was still here. They knew, because they had those every two years, these Isthman games. And a lot of those would eventually compete for the Olympics.

He says, they do so for a perishable crown, where you get that crown of laurel. A lot of these got paid a pension for life afterwards. They were given gifts. They were exalted. And so, for them, it was worth all the effort and self-discipline and hard work. And then he says, but we for an imperishable crown, that crown that could be taken away from us, that we could lose, we could disqualify ourselves, that crown symbolizes that crown of achievement with God working in us, with his Holy Spirit guiding us, and what an achievement that would be.

Goes on to say in verse 26, Therefore I run thus, not with uncertainty, thus I fight, not as one who beats the air. They call them shadow boxers. Those people got there, and they have the shadow, and they'll box, and they'll learn. But guess what? A shadow never hits you back, right? Now you earn your crown when you get hit. You get beaten up. You're bloodied, but you stand up. You get up, and you get back into the spiritual warfare that we are battling. He goes on to say, But I discipline my body, and bring it into subjection, lest when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified. Paul hadn't reached that reward yet. He knew he could slip up. He could be disqualified. That's the term there that is being used.

I know in the previous association, they got to the point where they're talking about, well, you're saved, and there's no such thing as getting disqualified because once you accept the Lord, you automatically will be saved. Well, how about here? That wasn't what Paul was preaching. He said, I myself can be eliminated. I can disqualify. I can lose that future crown. And so it's a devil's work, that idea that you don't have to put in your best effort to do your spiritual homework and do your spiritual chores before God. Notice another scripture, Hebrews 12. Paul loved to use this analogy of a race because we can't be passive. We can't just be lackadaisical and think, oh, God's just going to do everything for me. I shouldn't try to expend more effort. Notice in Hebrews 12.1, talking about in chapter 11, all of these runners of the faith in the past, and they showed how they persevered. They crossed the finish line at the end of their lives, and they're awaiting that wonderful crown of achievement. In chapter 12.1, it says, therefore we also, talking about the New Testament Church, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, all of these people that gave us the right witness and example, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Yes, it is by being close to God the Father and Jesus Christ and having Him work in us, transform us, discipline us, mold us more into His image. That's the way we can win this race that we are running. Notice that the Apostle John also understood very well that this is a spiritual race we are running. This is a scripture you might not have run across. It's not very well known. It's in the second epistle of John, just one chapter long, very short, but boy, it has a jewel, a spiritual jewel. Second John, verse 8. Notice what it says. It says, look to yourselves that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.

In the version, the Passion Translation, it says, be on your guard so that you do not lose all that we have diligently worked for, but receive a full reward.

The term here, full, is basically brimming to the top.

And we need to have the right motivation to do this, which is a spirit of service. Why are we running the race? Why are we making such effort? Because we have a spirit of service. We are serving God the Father, Jesus Christ. We're serving the brethren and the rest of mankind, although they don't know it at this time. And we enjoy serving. It's not an obligation. In Matthew 20, verse 24, it tells us the right motivation to desire that full reward. In Matthew 20, verse 24, here before Jesus was arrested, verse 24, it says, you get the right chapter. There we go. It says, and when the 10, talking about the 10 disciples heard it because the two wanted to sit at the right hand on both sides of Jesus Christ in the kingdom, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. But Jesus called them to himself and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lorded over them and those who are great exercise authority over them. They're out there and they make a great effort to get to the top so everybody can serve them. Yet it shall not be so among you. You're not going to use that Gentile example of being authoritarian, of seeking to be served. He says, but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave. Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many, have the right attitude to serve. Consider others superior to oneself.

In Luke chapter 17, another scripture, sometimes we don't read this often enough. In Luke chapter 17, it says in verse, starting in verse 7, it says, and which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, come at once and sit down to eat.

But will he not rather say to him, prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink. Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. That wasn't the type of spirit of service that was in that society. These slaves were treated like basically domesticated animals. And Jesus said, so likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say we are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do. And so again, the spirit of humility, of service that God wants us to have, desiring that crown of service in God's kingdom, to want to do greater service, greater responsibilities, to serve many more people. That should be our motivation. Now, let's ask the question, who wants us to lose that crown of that full reward and wants to take it away from us? There are three that I can conceive. First is Satan as a roaring lion seeking to whom he may devour. First Peter 5a. He doesn't want us to qualify. He wants to disqualify as many as possible because he wanted that position, but for the wrong attitude and the wrong spirit. But he wants to destroy God's work. He wants to destroy God's people. He wants them to get discouraged, to disqualify themselves and say, yeah, here's another one that I took from the church. Here's another one that's not going to get that crown of glory.

Secondly is the world. The cares of the world, the temptations, where people also get distracted. They take their eye off the goal. Gary mentioned that in the message, the importance of keeping your eye on the right goal of God's kingdom.

Notice in Hebrews 12, in verse 14, we have an example. Somebody whose crown of glory was taken away. Hebrews 12, verse 14, it says, pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. The right attitude, the right spirit, keeping ourselves separate from all the sins of the world. It says, looking carefully, lest anyone fall short of the grace of God. So you can fall short. You might not make it, it's saying here. Lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this, many become defile. Just one person with the wrong attitude, bitter attitude. Boy, they can really infect others. The spiritual COVID.

Lest there be a fornicator or profane person like Esau. Talking about a worldly person, lets them go to the world, start lusting and start the hanky-panky and doing things improperly. A fornicator or profane person, a worldly person, like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. It's interesting that he wasn't in the world when he sold that morsel of food for his birthright. No, he was there with his brother.

But the thing is, he had gotten so worldly, so unbelieving, so mixed up in the world that he really didn't care for that crown. Basically, he sold it very cheaply, and people can do that. They can get to the point where they despise those spiritual rewards that God promises. And this is what happened to Esau. He finally said, well, I don't even believe in that kingdom, and I don't believe in this reward, and I'm hungry. I better just have something physical here.

That's what I'm interested in, the physical, the carnal things. Continuing on, it says, verse 17, for you know that afterward when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. Oh, after he realized what the reward was fully, as he matured, maybe he had second thoughts about it, and then he said, oh, no, I want to have this back.

And it was too late. He lost it. He lost that opportunity, that inheritance, not only physical, but spiritual. And the third part of this that can also wants to take that crown away from us, because it is a race, a spiritual race, not all will qualify. Not all will cross the finish line, and they will drop out. And what happens? That position is there with a crown, a person that is going to rule under Christ.

So what happens? Someone else is called, and they will take that crown that was destined for you. They will take your place and position in the future. Now, what a contrast it is with Jacob, who overcame. He had all kinds of problems, but he overcame them. As his life continued, he drew closer to God, not farther away from God. And actually, God tested him one time and appeared at night, and they had a wrestling match.

And we believe this was Jesus Christ, a pre-incarnate, who appeared. And of course, I mean, he could appear as any way he could have appeared as a 200-foot giant. But no, he just appeared a bit stronger than Jacob, just to see what kind of spirit and will and determination he had. And Jacob wrestled the whole night, and he realized that this wasn't an ordinary human being that he was wrestling with, and that there was a reward behind this.

And he wasn't going to give up, and he even grabbed him so much and strong, and that God, in this material form, had to pull out his pelvis bone and just dislocated it, because that was the way Jacob fought. And so, afterwards, the pre-existent Christ talked with him and said, I'm going to change your name from Jacob to Israel, which means he that prevails with God.

He that prevails with God, and he overcame his faults, his sins, and he is in that book there in Hebrews, one of those faithful that continued on. You just read that here in Hebrews in chapter 11.

You just read it real quickly.

Verse 20, by faith Isaac blessed Jacob, and Esau concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. Yes, he was faithful to God, and he has his crown. And guess what? Esau's not going to have that.

We might no longer be as strong in body as we were. Many of us have aged now, who are not our youthful selves, but we must be strong in mind and will.

The attitude of not giving in or giving up the spirit of Israel. When you come into the church, God is going to give you that Spirit, that Holy Spirit, to work in you. But you have to use it. You can't be passive. The Spirit is not going to do exercises for you. You've got to do exercise. The Spirit is going to help you, but you've got to get on your knees. You have to pray. It's not going to force you. It's not going to grab you there by the back of your neck and force you to do things. No, it's there to empower you, to add to it. But it's still dependent on your will, and your mind, and with God's help.

Notice how the Apostle Paul finished his life. This is the last epistle that he wrote, 2 Timothy, chapter 4, verse 7. It says, I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race.

I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, the Stephanos.

Of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day. You see, we don't have the crown right now, but it's there for us to take. It's there for us to qualify.

And not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing. Yes, that's what Paul was looking for. Motivated him. It doesn't matter where you're living, what your conditions are, whether you've got a lot of bank in the bank account or not, those things are very secondary. What's important is what is in our spiritual bank account. What are we doing about this crown that God says, I've called you, I'm offering it to you. It can be yours, and you just have to hang in there and persevere and keep obeying me and keep serving.

And don't ever give in or give up these wonderful truths that we have received. Notice in Revelation chapter 21, Revelation chapter 21, the term overcome is used many times in the book of Revelation. Revelation 21 verse 7, talking about that future full reward that we have been talking about. Verse 7, it says, he who overcomes, the term is nikau, and that word comes from Nike. And the tennis shoes and all of these things, they actually took the name of the Greek god of conquest, of victory. Now here, it's just using it as a symbol of victory, of conquest. It says, he who overcomes shall inherit all things.

The term all things is in the Greek passe, p-a-s, and it means all things. And I will be his god, and he shall be my son. But who aren't going to get that crown?

It goes on to say, but the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, saucers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. They're not going to be crowned at the end. They were disqualified.

Now again, focusing on this wonderful reward. Notice in Hebrews chapter 1, Hebrews chapter 1, as we wind down this sermon. This is a beautiful scripture talking about the word, the creation of the universe. Let's start in verse 1. It says, God who at various times, and in various ways spoken times, passed to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days, these are the disciples and apostles. They didn't know exactly when Christ was going to come.

They thought he might come during their lifetime. God never said anything, one way or the other, because if he told them, no, I'm going to take another 2,000 years, they could have said, oh, well, let's all eat and drink and be married, because after all, it's not going to come for a long time. He kept it hidden. And so they were just speculating. They were hoping.

But they go on to say here, by his son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, pass, heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds.

Notice another scripture, another version of this.

In God's word version, it says, in these last days he has spoken to us through his son.

God made his son responsible for everything. His son is the one through whom God made the universe from the Greek Aeon, the one whom God has chosen to possess all things at the end.

Now, people don't understand this unless they've been called into the truth, because they think they're going to heaven. And, oh, that's their possession and inheritance. No, here we understand it's this universe. That's what Christ is going to be over. He's going to start with the earth, but that's just the beginning. Then later on, it's going to extend out, because he's not going to leave the universe halfway made. And right now, it's not ready, but it's going to be shaped and beautified in the future. Notice what that inheritance says. He is going to be heir of all things. And in Romans 8, verse 16, it explains this again. What this crown consists of. Romans 8, verse 16.

It says, the spirit, and it should say itself, because it's not a person. It's something that can be in one, bears witness. With our spirit, we have a human spirit we're born with. We have the Holy Spirit, which is given to us. And that spirit moves us, inspires us, guides us, as it says here. Witnesses that we are children of God, that we have that wonderful title and description, being part of God's family. And God, right now, it consists of God the Father and God the Son.

And they're going to have many more children in the future.

It goes on to say, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ. So, what is Christ going to receive? The whole universe. And we're going to share. We're going to be part of that inheritance. But there's a condition. It says, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

So, there's got to be suffering. There's got to be testing and trials. There's going to be disappointments in life. That all comes with the race that we are running. Again, I remember when I had to run over there in Ambassador College the last year. It's kind of comical because they didn't have enough people to run it. It was the steeplechase. It was one mile, and it had hurdles, and it had the water trial to test there. And I played basketball. I wasn't a runner. I didn't run very well either. But they said, well, come on. And so I said, okay, I'll do it.

So, here we get up with my companion, 6.30 in the morning, and we go running up and down the hills of Pasadena, get back around 7.30 in the morning, and we'd see Mr. Armstrong walking around, just getting everything on campus just right. We were always impressed with that energy. He was like 83, 84, and he was still running around. He had like three or four people behind him, you know, in the landscaping. We need to do this here and there, just full of boundless energy. But anyways, so the day came for the steeple chase. And here we took off and jumping all the hurdles and getting in, splashing the water and things like that.

And good news is I came in fourth place. The bad news is there are only four runners. But I remember I had a minister that came at the end and he congratulated me. Not because I had run or done much, because I finished the race. He said, I saw how tired you were, how exhausted, and everything. He said, well, you persevered. And so it brings back that memory of us having to persevere. This is a race that we're running, and look at the inheritance that God is offering us.

Notice in continuing on, it says, if we suffer with him, we also will be glorified together, talking about all the brethren in that first resurrection. And then it says, verse 18, for I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Paul never forgot that vision of that crown. He wasn't going to let anybody take that away from him. He knew all the suffering, all of that. It was well worth it. He thought it was insignificant in comparison to that wonderful reward. He says, verse 19, for the earnest expectation of the creation, it can also be here, the universe, eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God, the children of God, because it's going to be men and women.

They're all going to be part of that first resurrection. And everything is an eager expectation of when that kingdom arrives and when those thrones are going to be ready and those crown that overcame. Now, basically, it's less, you know, we are such just thousands of people in a world of billions. And God has called us out of all of this massive humanity, and He's offering us a crown. It goes on to say, for the creation was subjected to futility, in other words, decay, wear and tear, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope, because the creation itself also will be delivered from bondage of corruption.

If you look at the pictures of the planets, they've had the Mars rover, and that planet is inhospitable. It's uninhabitable right now. It's a shame to have all of these planets, and yet they're not ready. To bloom, and to have trees, and to have birds and animals. There's a lot of work left, He says, because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit. Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption. It should be here, the sonship. We're not going to be adopted, children. We are legitimate children. The redemption of our body. That's when it's going to be transformed, the resurrection He's talking about. So, brethren, this is all what we need to be focusing on this coming year, 2021.

We don't know all the tests and trials, but there is a crown that has your name. That God is preparing. He has reserved it. And so don't let anyone take that crown from you.